Mad Catz has teamed up with Ubisoft to offer a live Ghost Recon: Future Solider-branded controllers and headsets to go along with the release of Future Solider.

The corded controller works with Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3 and it is branded on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. In addition to the Game Pad Controller, Mad Catz is also going to offer a branded 7.1 Surround Sound Headset for the 360 and also for the PS3.

While both the peripherals light up and have a good look to them, we hear rumors of a possible PC version of the controller and headset that Mad Catz is thinking about releasing; but we suspect it will be based on sales if they also choose to drop PC versions into that space. We will have to wait and see.

Well known peripheral developer Nyko has seemed to address one of the major issues with the PlayStation Vita which is the battery concern. While Sony rates the battery life of the Vita at between 3 to 5 hours, Nyko has come up with a way to get almost triple that.

While the solution isn’t pretty, the company has come up with the Power Grip, which is a docking station-like device with two controller style grips that contain a battery that will triple your Vita batter life to an estimated 9 to 15 hours.

While it isn’t perhaps as pretty as you would like, at $24.99 it could be a better long-term investment than buying more battery packs over and over again. If you don’t have access to a power sources and you can’t recharge, this could be just the ticket. It is certainly one option that is worth looking at if you need to use the Vita on battery power for longer periods of time.

If an internal marketing video that made its way to Vimeo but has since been removed is any indication, Ubisoft might be thinking of offering a tablet option for consoles. While it is said to be called the Ubisoft Tablet and part of an internal project called “Project Touch,” it seems to validate that Ubisoft is at least thinking about it.

A number of screenshots from said video are now floating around and they do seem to reinforce that the peripheral is something like the uDraw unit that was already been offered by THQ; this one, however, is green and white and looks much bulkier than the THQ offering.

No rumors of games have been pinned to this Project Touch, but it would appear that it is something that Ubisoft is at least serious about looking at. We will have to wait till at least CES or maybe E3 before the company has something more to talk about on this project.

CM Storm line of products got another addition - the Spawn gaming mouse. After Sentinel and Inferno models aimed at higher-end segment, CoolerMaster will now offer Spawn to those that aren’t in a mood to splash out on rodents. Suggested pricing for the Spawn is €33, where VAT is not included. As you can see, Spawn ergonomics is pretty different from the aforementioned models, as it’s designed especially for claw grip gamers.

Spawn comes in a nice and sturdy box that lists main characteristics of the mouse.

We didn’t find the Driver CD inside, but it will be included in retail packages. You can find more info online, here.

The Looks

Spawn is smaller compared to Inferno. You might remember that Inferno has a laser sensor whereas Spawn comes with an optical one. You can see both on the picture below, and they both belong to CM Storm gaming peripherals line.

Spawn is explicitly a mouse for right handed gamers. It’s designed for the claw-grip, but regardless of your preferred usage, Spawn will be a good little rodent. The mouse is small and mobile thanks to a really thought out design. The right side of the mouse has a slope which is pretty convenient, especially in claw grip “mode”.

The mouse is made of ABS plastic, which looks good and is pretty comfortable. You can actually see the difference between standard and ABS plastics, as the frame around the front keys is made of standard type.

Spawn comes with two thick rubber grips that have been deployed on both sides of the mouse. This affords full control to lift-off style gamers during game play.

As you can see Spawn comes with seven different keys, programmable via the Spawn Tactic AP software.

CoolerMaster was keen on longevity and Omron micro switch technology promises minimum 5 million clicks and years of fun with Spawn. The scroll wheel boasts Japanese ultra-step wheel encoders that provide great control and precision, although we thought that the wheel could be a bit quieter.

Spawn has a 3500 DPI sensor, making it top of the line when it comes to optical sensor mice. It allows on-the-fly DPI changes – 800, 1800 and 3500 DPI. There are no LED indicators which display current DPI settings, but we didn’t miss them too much.

Spawn is the first optical sensor based mouse in the CM Storm series – the rest come with laser ones. Naturally, laser sensors are considered better since they churn out above 5000 DPI, but the “butter” comes at a price. For most gamers, especially in FPS games, 3500 DPI will be more than enough.

If you’re curious as to how to tell the sensors apart, you can either consult the manual or peek into the hole. You’ll see that laser mice have a narrower hole and don’t have LED glow when connected to your computer. Laser mice use beams which are almost invisible to the human eye.

Next up is the anti-drift control sensor. A quality optical engine should include an anti-drift system that would provide lossless performance during lifts and drops. In other words, it’s the distance that dictates how far the mouse goes before the sensor stops tracking movement. If the distance is high, cursors tend to move while you’re lifting the mouse. Needless to say, nobody likes that.

Inferno’s laser sensor has lift-off distance of 2mm; strangely enough, Spawn does not specify that. While testing it, we noticed that it heavily depends on the surface. In our case, it went anywhere between 2 an 4mm.

Since Spawn is pretty short, there will be enough room to control it, especially when retracting the mouse in your palm.

Spawn Tactic AP

Storm Tactic AP allows for programming all keys or set up speed of double clicking, wheel speed, pointer acceleration, angle snapping and polling rate. The app is pretty simple and since the Spawn comes with 32KM of onboard memory, you can save it and carry it around. Macro allows for saving a string of keyboard inputs and saving it in a mouse button of choice.

Conclusion

With Spawn, CoolerMaster offers gamers a quality CM Storm mouse that comes cheaper than its siblings. That’s not to say that the mouse does is any lesser endowed however - for a mouse with an optical sensor it’s top drawer. The suggested pricing for Spawn is €33.5 + VAT.

Spawn is smaller than regular mice but it's comfortable for longer hours. It’s a strictly right-handed mouse designed for so called claw grips, i.e. holding the mouse by its sides rather than laying your hand on it.

Cleverly implemented ergonomics allows for smooth sailing all the way and the rubber grips ensure that you don’t drop the mouse in rapid movement. The mouse is light and precise and if you’re a claw-grip gamer, we’re pretty sure you’ll like it. Truth be told, Spawn can be used in a regular manner as well, but it might be a bit too short.

Spawn’s integrated 32KB of memory will save settings and macros, allowing you to carry it around with your preferred settings regardless of whether Spawn Tactic AP program is present. In conclusion - robust but sleek, precise but not overkill, quality but not overpriced; Spawn is surely the mouse to try on for size.